Cover Image: Maybe This Christmas?

Maybe This Christmas?

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Member Reviews

You cannot go wrong with a Christmas novel in December
This book has all the elements that a Christmas book needs and I really enjoyed reading it
A perfect cozy book for Christmas
I will be looking for more by this author

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This book has been updated and republished. I noted a few oddities close to the end, such as Beth apparently dragged an 8 foot Christmas tree into a room and stood it up straight all by herself, and a diamond in a ring apparently becomes crystal (glass) instead of a gemstone. However, it's a good chick lit novel with interesting characters, a credible story, and an ending which is predictably happy. I really enjoyed this Christmassy story, it had snow, a beautiful home, cosy fires, friends, family and love, what more could anyone want?

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A lovely Christmas take fir the holidays. Full of romance abd likeable characters throughout. Perfect for Christmas.

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2.5 out of 5. I cannot complain about a sexy 3 Michelin star chef as a lead of the book. That was a great plus. What I didn't love about this book is how little we know about Beth as a person. He falls for her but why? really i didn't get the buildup other than she being diligent at her job. She's probably really pretty too. But then again one has to just go with it an enjoy the ride. I did enjoy the misunderstandings and the tension that arose. This falls in the Predictable but naught Hallmark movie category

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I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. I have read multiple books from this author and I have enjoyed her books. This one was a easy fast read, perfect for Christmas season. I could not really get into the story plot with this book and also the characters, I didn't really care for any of the characters and I feel like the main love interest was just not engaging enough for me. I feel like the romance part came out of left field and was very rushed and didn't feel organic enough. All in all it was a good lighthearted read and if you are looking for a east fast Christmas read this book is perfect for you. The story is written much better than a Hallmark type story plot.

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I’m not usually one to start a review off on a negative point, but why was this called Maybe This Christmas? I thought this was going to be a second-chance romance based on the title but nope, these people have never met before. Also I got 25% in and Christmas hadn’t even been mentioned yet, it was still September. At 50% in Beth mentions Last Christmas playing in the pub and until that point, I didn’t realise it was December. Well, I’m assuming it’s December, it hasn’t been clarified. Which seems a little strange for a book with Christmas in the title.

There are quite a few time jumps that are each weeks long that get a bit confusing as the dates are never mentioned. It was really hard to keep up with where you were in the story.

The amount of toxicity in Maybe This Christmas was baffling. Beth basically praises and idolises Rocco and Pandora's clearly toxic relationship. She talks about how her and Martin never had huge fights and maybe these fights are what make a relationship passionate. Not exactly a good message to be sending to people.

Also, she says that Pandora makes her feel like ‘the fat unpopular girl who gets picked last for netball’. The use of fat doesn’t sit right with me here, especially coming from a character who is described as being on the smaller side. It also just isn’t needed. Just saying you feel like the unpopular girl would have been enough. There is actually a lot of body shaming in this and honestly, I expected better from a book published in 2022.

The relationship between Beth and Rocco is questionable from pretty much the very beginning. Around halfway through the book, Beth is ill and Rocco gives her a “chaste, well-intentioned get-well kiss from a boss to his employee.” This is not a real thing, when has this ever been a thing? It probably shouldn’t annoy me as much as it does, but Beth was off her face on medication and it seemed a bit predatory to me.

I was not sold on their relationship at all. They hardly seemed to exchange two words throughout the entire book and then suddenly he’s telling her it was love at first sight. Come on.

I can’t even tell you just how much I hate it when authors write out the dialogue like it has an accent. It’s not only annoying to read but is probably also quite offensive, I won’t speak for non-first language English speakers though. You’ve already told me Pandora is Romanian I don’t need every ‘s’ written as a ‘z’ to prove it.

Also, the use of this type of dialogue has not been consistent with her character throughout. She talked like it when she was first introduced and then it crept back in at the end. Apparently, she lost her accent somewhere in the middle, but don’t worry she’s found it again.

I really am trying to find at least one positive to talk about, but sorry I don’t think there are any for me. It’s actually quite hard for me to write such a negative review for a festive romance, as usually I don’t take them too seriously. But Maybe This Christmas had far too many negatives for me to ignore. Sadly, this was not a match for me, if it wasn’t so short I don’t think I would have finished it.

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A new job, a break up, a country house and a celebrity chef who is more than he appears. A perfect winter read!

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This is a good book. The two main characters are Beth and Rocco. Beth is a personal assistant and Rocco owns a five star Michelin restaurant. Rocco gets Beth to come be his personal assistant for three months. There is an instant attraction. Beth thinks Rocco has a girlfriend, Pandora. But Rocco tells her it is only a friendship. They each have trust issues but together they work them out and fall in love.

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*Personal Assistant falls in love with chef boss
*Spicy love story
*Cute storyline
*Fast relationship
*Not much to story

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

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My thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Publishers for a copy of “Maybe This Christmas “ for an honest review,

I’ve saved up several festive reads for the run up to Christmas .Jill Steeples is a new author to me so I was interested to see if I enjoyed her style of writing.
Unfortunately , from the start, I took an instant dislike to the main character of Beth , an although it is a easy read, I just couldn’t get involved in the story at all .
As a rule I enjoy the predictability of this style of book , with the satisfying happy ending but sadly this book just wasn’t for me .

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Maybe This Christmas was a cute and easy read that takes place around Christmas but honestly probably didn’t need to be holiday centric. Beth is a personal assistant who loses her boyfriend and starts a new job within 24 hours, Rocco is a world renowned chef who has a reputation for being mean. I liked the two of them together and if you are a fan of insta-love trope, this one gives you not just one of those stories. It was cute and fun.

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Beth loses her job and then her boyfriend but then she finds herself working for Rocco a chef. Will she find her happily ever after this Christmas?

I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet romance, it is the perfect book to get cosy with this Christmas. The settings are gorgeous and the characters relatable. For me it was a quick, fun and easy read. Highly recommend.
Thank you netgalley and boldwood for this ARC, all opinions are solely my own.

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Good read. Great characters, enjoyed the setting, lots of side stories weaved into it and it flowed really well. A good read for a rubbish day. Will make you feel better!

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I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pleasant, cozy Christmas novel. I enjoyed it a lot.

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After being dump, Beth decided to start afresh and found a job working as a PA for celebrity Rocco, a man with good looks but having bad emotional swing. Beth tried to do her job but dealing with a mood swing Rocco is really challenging for Beth. It is a good predictable romance story with some romcom element in the storyline. Love the English countryside setting and the interaction between Beth and Rocco flows easily and fun to read to me.

*review post scheduled on 2/10/22*

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I was blown away this was so good. I enjoyed the writing and even more the fact that the author gave us a slow burn in the sense that the relationship between the two main characters really went into it slowly and not like full on love at first sight. Such a great hallmark-type story.. Loved every bit of it, Definitely recommend.

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This is a fun and seasonal book. I have never read Jill Steeples before but I will definitely read more from this author, I really enjoyed the characters and plot. It was an easy, quick read but that takes nothing away from the heart of the story.

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Release Date: August 23 2022

📖📖

Beth has been through the ringer. Her boyfriend of five years just broke up with her. On impulse she accepts a personal assistant position with a well known chef that has a rather volatile temperament. As the holiday season starts Beth starts seeing a softer side to the world, including her new boss.

It has a hallmark plot! Girl works for cranky guy, cranky guy isn’t as bad as everyone thinks, girl falls in love. This conceptually should be perfect but the characters are very unlikable. Beth is shocked that the boyfriend she doesn’t love is going to leave because…she doesn’t love him! Ugh skip this one and watch a hallmark movie instead.

#maybethischristmas #jillsteeples #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #romance #boldwoodbooks

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As always author Jill never fails to disappoint, wonderful storyline and lovely characters we follow Beth who ends up being a PA to a famous and moody chef will the stories she has read about him turn out to be true, heartache and romance in this lovely book makes it impossible to put down
Brilliant writing as always and highly recommend

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Fun Christmassy book to put you in the mood for the season. It has all the trimmings you'll need unexpected drama,on again off again romance, crossed lines of communication,Christmassy atmosphere,festive and more.
The book moved at a quick pace and I enjoyed it.

Pub Date: 23 Aug 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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